The Best Of Times Page 6

Charter a boat, sail your own boat; stay near home or cross the country to sample the waters. Summer is a good time to do itTo every thing there is a season, said the writer of Ecclesiastes. If youre reading this, youre probably a sailor, and you dont need me to tell you that this statement should be needlepointed on a pillow in the saloon of every sailboat. Generally,

One of the most stunning sights I’ve ever seen was the view out the window of a small plane circling above Vancouver Island one cloudless morning. The sea sparkled below, and snow-capped mountains jutted above the forests to the east and west. To the north, the peaks surrounding the sound gleamed iron-gray and white.

There are many lovely cruising areas around the United States and Canada, but I doubt that any can match the beauty of the 140-mile stretch of coast between Desolation Sound and Seattle. From the tip of Washington State, America’s San Juan Islands transition seamlessly into Canada’s Gulf Islands. Three of us spent a week exploring the rugged inlets and fjords on the British Columbia coast. Eagles soaring overhead and seals swimming around the boat—this is not chartering as most of us know it. The weather was almost too benign, and we motored more than we’d have liked. We anchored in wooded coves as quiet as cathedrals and walked through forests bathed in green light. The water level rose and fell as in a giant bathtub, with little in the way of current. The most essential instrument here is not a GPS but a depthsounder; piloting is all line-of-sight, and the shore falls off so quickly that you need to secure the boat stern-to the beach, with lines taken ashore and the anchor laid out on the steeply sloping bottom.

Perhaps it isn’t for everyone, this quiet and grand corner of North America, but it should be. Peter Nielsen

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

The best time to sail in the Pacific Northwest is early or late in the season; the weather is usually good, everything (resorts, restaurants, shops) is open, and the winds are better. In mid-summer it’s crowded and the winds are lighter, but September is fantastic—it’s dry, and we normally get 10 to 15 knots of wind. April, May, June, and September are prime time for the sailing community. In May and June we have daylight from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., and these long days are a huge advantage for cruising. If you’re planning a charter here to see whales, you’ll do best in May–June and September as the resident pods come and go. Our charter season runs May to mid-October, but boats are available on demand at other times. Mike Lovell, Anacortes Yacht Charters, Anacortes, Washington

Related

After completing the European Great Loop on our 1987 40ft Catalac catamaran, Angel Louise, my wife, Sue, and I sailed home to the States and spent two years sailing up and down East coast between Maine and Florida, like migratory waterfowl. Eventually, though, we decided to ...read more

The Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image competition once again captures the excitement that is sailing from around the world An impressive 109 photographers from 25 countries took part in last year’s Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image 2018 competition. And while Portuguese photographer Ricarado ...read more

For the past couple of decades, the digital side of sailing has become increasingly important, to the point where it’s now almost inconceivable going offshore, even aboard a daysailer, without at least a modicum of electronics onboard—a trend that has been very much in evidence ...read more

Are you out there sailing, cruising and living the sailing life? If so, we’d love to see it. Send your sailing photos to sailmail@sailmagazine.com And don’t forget to sign up for our free eNewsletter. Check back for updates! I took this shot from Cooper Island Beach Club as my ...read more

Presented by Vetus-Maxwell. Got a tip? Send it to sailmail@sailmagazine.com Fall in line In the days before GPS, the best trick outside the book for finding a harbor in dense fog went like this: if it’s surrounded by rocks, forget it; if not, in you go, but never try to hit it ...read more

With less than 1,700 miles to go to the finish in Les Sables d'Olonne, France, second-place Mark Slats of the Netherlands has cut another 393 miles out of the lead held by French sailor Jean-Luc Van Den Heede in the Golden Globe 2018 race. Jean-Luc aboard the Rustler 36 Matmut ...read more

Even more than a year and half later, the scars from Hurricane Irma are still all too visible on the island of St. Maarten. But if Irma couldn’t prevent the famed Heineken from taking place in the winter of 2017-18, you can bet it’s not going to put a crimp in either the racing ...read more